Many modern and alternative septic systems have alarms to notify the homeowner of a potential problem. Though it can be annoying when the system alarms and you are forced to think about your septic system. This could prevent the system from backing up in your house. Proper maintenance and operation will extend the life of your system and save you money in the long run. So, what does it mean if an alarm sounds and what should you do?
It could mean too much water is being used. Several loads of laundry, increased amount of dish washing, and a lot of long showers are all reasons that can cause too much water usage. Ground water is getting into the system somehow. A lot of rain may cause puddling. If too much puddling occurs around the septic tank, the water can leak into the tank causing the water level to rise inside of the tanks. Or something may be wrong with one of the septic system’s components. The pump, floats, alarm, time, etc. May have something wrong that is not allowing them to work together properly. There are a series of straightforward steps to take.
Silence the alarm so it does not drive you and all your neighbors insane.
Determine what type of alarm it is. Typically it is either a high water alarm or if you have a blower for an ATU tank the blower may be out.
If you have a blower, feel the casing of the blower motor to make sure that the blower is operating. You can also often hear the hum of the blower. If not, call a licensed repair company to replace the blower. You have a day or two before the undertreated sewage starts flowing to your leach field and begins to damage it.
If it is not the blower, then it is probably a high water level alarm in your septic tank or your secondary tank.
A septic alarm going off can be a scary thing. If you have any questions please call Express Septic Pumping.
